


Roll The Dice

by summerforbran



Category: In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: Other, sorry for the sex jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10596228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerforbran/pseuds/summerforbran
Summary: Pete stood back to admire the small mural he’d just completed. It wasn’t his best work, but he was happy enough with it. From what he could tell from his short time living in the barrio, the building he’d just tagged wasn’t in use. It was late, and he figured it was a safe enough spot to work for now. Satisfied, he put the top back on the spray can and put it in his backpack before turning to go back to his  apartment. It was freezing, and he didn’t want to be outside much longer.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light go on in the bodega across the street. almost immediately, he saw somebody walk into the bodega. He could’ve sworn that the place had been completely dark just a few seconds ago. Still, he decided to check it out.





	

Pete stood back to admire the small mural he’d just completed. It wasn’t his best work, but he was happy enough with it. From what he could tell from his short time living in the barrio, the building he’d just tagged wasn’t in use. It was late, and he figured it was a safe enough spot to work for now. Satisfied, he put the top back on the spray can and put it in his backpack before turning to go back to his apartment. It was freezing, and he didn’t want to be outside much longer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light go on in the bodega across the street. almost immediately, he saw somebody walk into the bodega. “Weird,” he murmured. He could’ve sworn that the place had been completely dark just a few seconds ago. Still, he decided to check it out, though he didn’t need to buy anything. 

The bodega certainly didn’t look like it had just opened. Though there was only one or two other customers that he could see, the smell of coffee made it obvious that it had been open for a while. Maybe his eyes had just been playing tricks on him.

“Hey! I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Pete looked in the direction that the voice came from. It didn’t take long for him to notice the boy behind the counter waving him over.

“Yeah, I haven’t been living here for too long,” Pete answered, walking over to the counter. “I’m not really known around the barrio yet.”

“Ooh, mystery man. I like that.” He winked at Pete. “The name’s Sonny.”

Pete laughed, and held his hand out. “I don’t know about ‘mystery man,’ but I’ll take it. I’m Pete.” He looked around after Sonny shook his hand. “I didn’t think this place was open tonight. It looked completely dark earlier.”

Sonny furrowed his brows, and frowned slightly. “Nah, we’ve been open all day,” he answered. “I don’t think the people of Washington Heights would survive if they couldn’t get their coffee.”

Suddenly the door to the back room opened, and another man hurried out holding a Windex bottle in one hand, and a small stack of coffee filters in the other. “Yo, cuz. Be polite. We have a new customer!” Sonny called over to him. 

Usnavi raised an eyebrow “Really? We never get new people around.”

“I just moved here a week ago,” Pete answered. “I’m still figuring my way around here.”

“Well, as long as you don’t cause any trouble, we should get along fine.”

Sonny made an exasperated noise, and waved Usnavi off. “Yeah, thanks Usnavi. Go do whatever you came out here to do,” he said, ignoring the look Usnavi shot at him. He leaned on the counter, turning his full attention back to Pete. “Don’t listen to him. So, what brings you here so late at night?”

“Oh, I was just doing some work. I’m trying to get my art out there.” Pete answered.

“You should show me your work sometime. I’d love to see it,” Sonny said, grinning. 

“It’s not anything special,” Pete said, shifting his weight slightly. It wasn’t very often that somebody really took an interest in his art. Though he assumed Sonny was just making conversation without really being interested, it was nice to feel like somebody actually cared enough to ask him about it. He couldn’t help smiling back at him. “I’ll show you. I’ll want your honest opinion, though.”

Sonny laughed, and was about to say something else when the door to the back room opened again. another man walked out nonchalantly, though Pete noticed him subtly trying to adjust his shirt. Sonny snickered, and shook his head. “That’s Usnavi’s boyfriend, Lincoln,” he said just loud enough that Pete could hear. “You might not want to shake his hand.” He winked again, and Pete snorted out a laugh.

“Hey! Inappropriate!” Usnavi called. “It’s gonna be so peaceful here when you go to college.” 

Sonny shrugged, and quickly tapped the corner of his mouth. Usnavi wiped his own mouth, almost automatically. “Let me get you a coffee.” Sonny had gone back to talking to Pete, and ignored the rude gesture Usnavi directed at him. “You’re never gonna want to get coffee anywhere else.”

“Yeah. I want to try this coffee the people of Washington Heights can’t live without.” Pete knew that he didn’t actually need the coffee, but he didn’t want to get Sonny into even more trouble with Usnavi. “You just might make me become a regular customer.”

“You’ve figured out exactly what I’m trying to do.” Sonny poured Pete’s coffee, and looked back up at him. “You like cream or sugar?”

“Just a sugar,” Pete answered, and watched Sonny stir the sugar in.

“It’s on me,” Sonny stated, handing Pete his coffee. 

Pete raised an eyebrow. “I can’t take this for free.” He fished his wallet out of his pocket, and took a couple dollars out. “I think that you’re already in enough trouble, anyway.” 

Sonny was going to refuse the money, but Pete wasn’t taking no for an answer. He couldn’t figure out why Sonny seemed to have some kind of interest in him. He tried to piece together if he’d seen seen Sonny around the barrio, but the more he thought about it, the more sure he was that he had never seen him before. He assumed that Sonny was just like that with most of the customers. Deciding that he was just thinking too much into it, he took a sip of his coffee, and tried not to grimace at the taste. He forgot that he didn’t tell Sonny that he liked cream in coffee. “It’s great.”

Sonny didn’t miss the look on Pete’s face, though. “Something wrong?”

Pete laughed, embarrassed. “You know what? I will take cream in this.” Sonny grinned, and slid a creamer over to him. Pete’s hand brushed against Sonny’s as he took it from him.

Sonny immediately pulled his hand back, and waved Usnavi over. “Can I go on my break now?” He asked, and Pete was sure that he was actually making puppy dog eyes at Usnavi. “Please?”

Usnavi sighed. “Fine. It’s not like anybody new is going to come in, anyway. You have fifteen minutes.”

Sonny pumped his fist in the air, and ran out from behind the counter, grabbing Pete’s hand. “Come on a walk with me?” He asked, practically pulling Pete along with him. Pete hadn’t been planning on saying no, anyway. He had nowhere else he needed to be, and he wanted a chance to get to know Sonny. So he followed him out.

It wasn’t until they were away from the bodega that Pete noticed Sonny looked like he was dressed for summer, not the middle of winter. “Aren’t you cold?” He asked, looking at Sonny’s bare arms. “You’re not even wearing a jacket.” Thinking about it, he wasn’t sure if Usnavi had been wearing winter clothes either.

Sonny shook his head, but didn’t say anything about it. “Sorry if I was acting weird back there, we don’t meet new people very often. It’s always nice to see a new face around the bodega.” He rubbed his arm as if he was embarrassed. “Usnavi wasn’t lying when he said we don’t see a lot of new people.”

Pete looked Sonny over again, quickly. “It’s no problem I didn’t think that you were being weird,” he said. “Hey, maybe we can hang out sometime. Maybe your next day off? Or I can find you at the bodega.”

“Yeah, maybe we can sometime,” Sonny answered, though Pete noticed the sad look that came over Sonny’s face for just a moment. He couldn’t help but think that Sonny seemed… lonely. “I’d like that.” 

Sonny glanced down at the ground for a second, but recovered himself. He leaned into Pete slightly, and Pete shyly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. When Sonny didn’t push his arm away, Pete pulled him a bit closer. The two walked in silence for a while with Sonny nestled against Pete’s side, and Pete couldn’t help but smile at him. It was nice to have made a friend so quickly. It wasn’t something that normally came easily to Pete. He didn’t usually stay in one spot long enough to make many permanent friendships, anyway. He hoped things to go differently with Sonny.

It wasn’t long before Sonny jerked away from Pete, startling him. “I have to go back to the bodega now.”

“Your break is over?” Pete was going to say more, but the look on Sonny’s face stopped him. there was no trace of the contented smile that had been there just a second ago.

“I’m sorry. I just… I have to go.” Sonny turned and ran before Pete could even offer to walk back with him. He just stood frozen in place, not sure what had just happened.

**********************************************************

That night Pete had a hard time falling asleep, and he found his mind wandering to the bodega throughout the day. The more he thought about the way Sonny had acted before he left, the less sense it made to him. From what he could remember, Sonny hadn’t seemed upset at all until that moment. Still, he thought it was best for him to go to the bodega to apologize to Sonny for whatever happened, and to make sure that he was okay. Pete couldn’t deny that he cared about Sonny, even though he had only just met him. He didn’t want to ruin a friendship.

Later that day, Pete headed over to the bodega. What he saw when he got there made him stop short. The place looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago. The grate was pulled down, and the windows were boarded. Pete was sure he was at the right place, but there was no way this bodega could’ve been open the night before. Pete just stared at the building, unsure of what to do. “Am I losing my mind?”

Feeling somebody’s hand on his shoulder startled Pete, and made him jump. He turned quickly to see a woman who looked to be in her early 30s standing behind him. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, moving her hand back. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You looked upset.”

Pete shook his head, hoping that he didn’t look as desperate as he felt. “Did this bodega just close today?” He asked, trying to sound casual.

The woman frowned, and shook her head. “De La Vega’s closed about ten years ago,” she answered, and Pete caught the quiver in her voice. “There are a lot of bodegas around here, it’s easy to mix them up.”

“No, it was definitely this one. It was right here,” Pete insisted. “It was run by a guy named Usnavi, his cousin helped him run it.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her this, or why it even mattered so much to him. All he knew was that something was very wrong. 

She watched Pete intently. “I think we should talk at my apartment.”

Pete crossed his arms over his chest, and took a step back. Though he didn’t feel threatened by her, this was just too weird for him. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but this is crazy. I was in that bodega last night!” Pete felt panicky. He’d walked past the mural he did the night before on his way there. This to be the right place. It just had to be.

“My name’s Nina. I can tell you about the bodega.” She moved her hand as if she was going to touch Pete’s shoulder again, but decided against it. Instead, she brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “We don’t have to talk today, but I’m not going to be here much longer. I’m only staying with my parents for a few more days.”

Pete took a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. “No, we can talk now,” he said. All he wanted was to know what had happened, and Nina seemed sincere. “Lead the way.”

**********************************************************

It didn’t take long for them to get to the apartment, and nobody else seemed to be home. Though Pete had introduced himself on the way there, he still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that was gnawing at him. He glanced at the pictures on the walls as the walked down the hall, and noticed what looked like a school photo of Lincoln. 

“He was there last night! He was with Usnavi.” It looked like it was a fairly old picture, but Pete was sure that it was him. 

“That’s my brother.” Nina stopped to look at it, a tender look on her face. Though she quickly moved away, and brought Pete to the living room. “You can sit anywhere you want.”

Pete did as she told him, and made himself a spot on the couch. “So, where are the guys from the bodega? Are they all here?” He asked, looking around. He still didn’t understand exactly what was happening.

Nina shook her head sadly. “No, they aren’t here,” she answered, before leaving the room for a few minutes. She came back with what looked like a photo album, and sat next to Pete.

“Were they trying to pull off some kind of scam?” That made even less sense to Pete, but it was all that came to him. 

“There was no scam. The bodega was around for years. Usnavi’s parents owned it before he did.” Nina opened the album, and flipped through it until she found the picture she wanted. 

She pointed to the picture, and Pete immediately recognized Sonny and Usnavi. The picture had obviously been taken on Sonny’s high school graduation. He was still wearing his cap and gown, and he and Usnavi were both beaming at the camera. Pete could see how proud Usnavi really was of Sonny.

“Yeah, they’re the guys I met last night,” Pete said, not taking his eyes from Sonny. “Was this taken this past year?”

Nina gave him an odd look that Pete couldn’t quite place, and the silence made him slightly uncomfortable. He began nervously fidgeting with his hands. 

“I took this picture ten years ago.” She took the picture out of the book to show Pete that somebody had scrawled “Sonny’s high school graduation 2010” in pencil on the back of it.

Pete stared at it in disbelief. “This could’ve been written at any time,” he pointed out. “They look exactly the same as they did last night!” Thinking back, he he remembered  
Usnavi saying something about Sonny going to college. He flipped the picture to look over Sonny and Usnavi again. “Look, I just want to know what’s happening.”

Nina bit her lip, a far away look on her face. She took a deep breath before speaking. “De La Vega’s was robbed the summer I took that picture. I was there that night with my fiancé, Benny. Lincoln was already there,” she began, her voice shaky. “It was late, and they were getting ready to close down for the night. A couple guys none of us knew came in. We didn’t really pay attention to them at first but…” Nina’s voice broke and she cut herself off, blinking back tears. She looked away from him.

Pete tentatively put his hand over Nina’s, unsure of what else he could do for her. He wasn’t liking the direction her story was going in. He couldn’t bring himself to ask her what happened, it obviously pained her to talk about whatever had happened that night. Instead, he waited silently for her to continue on her own.

It took a minute for Nina to compose herself enough to look at Pete again. “Sonny was the first one to realize something was off about them, but Usnavi was the one who confronted them,” she continued in a hoarse voice. “We didn’t think anything of it until we heard him scream.” She stopped again, shaking her head. “A lot of it is a blur, but I know Sonny helped me get out through the back. I called for help as soon as I got away, but the guys were gone by the time the cops got there. A few of the other customers got out safely, but nobody else.” She looked down at her hands, shaking.

Pete stared at her in shocked silence. His mind was racing, and he had no idea how to ask any of the questions he wanted to ask. She’d just told him that he’d met ghosts last night, and expected him to believe it. The thing was, we wasn’t doubting her. Maybe it was the look on her face or the fact she was shaking so much, but he didn’t believe that she was lying to him. “Have you seen them since?” He asked after a while. “Is this the first time they’ve come back, or do they like to greet everybody who moves here?”

“No, but I noticed the light on last night. I was there for the same reason you were,” she answered. “I’ve been living out in California for a long time now, but I don’t think so. I’ve never seen the light go on before.”

“I have to be going crazy, but I believe you,” Pete whispered. “I… I think I’m just gonna go home now. Thank you.” 

Nina stood, and followed him to the door. “Do you need me to walk with you?” She asked. “Or at least let me give you my number, if you ever want to talk.”

Pete handed her his phone so she could put her number in. “No, thanks. You don’t need to walk with me. I just need time to think,” he said, before opening the door and stepping out. 

****************************************************************

Pete got back to his apartment feeling sick, and completely drained. He thought of how close he and Sonny got. Pete had touched him, hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t like his arm had gone right through Sonny when they were walking. He shook his head. How had he not realized something was seriously wrong as soon as Sonny ran away?

Though he was exhausted, he couldn’t go right to sleep when he got to bed. An online search on his phone confirmed everything Nina told him. A few articles even used the graduation picture that Nina had showed him. He’d even found obituaries. He recognized Benny as the man he’d followed into the bodega. It struck him that neither Sonny’s nor Usnavi’s obituary said anybody had survived them. They were the only family they had. Pete sniffled, and wiped at his eyes. “At least they caught the guys,” he muttered. Though he doubted that was much comfort to the people living there at the time. They’d still lost friends and family because of them.

Eventually, Pete couldn’t force himself to stay awake any longer. He fell into a troubled sleep, and woke up more than once in the middle of the night thinking he’d heard Sonny calling for him. 

****************************************************************

The next night, Pete found himself at the bodega again. There was no sign of anybody else there. No lingering smell of coffee. Dead.

Pete couldn’t think about that, though. He was in the middle of his most important work. He’d asked Nina to text him the graduation picture so he could save it to his phone. Every once in a while he’d have to stop working to look at the picture for reference. It was rare that he used references in his work, but he wanted to get it as close to perfect as he possibly could. Sonny and Usnavi deserved that at least.

It was the very early early hours of the morning when Pete had finally finished. The sun hadn’t even begun rising yet. Grinning, he stepped back and rested his hands behind his head. His eyes scanned over the new mural on the grate. He took his phone out, and took a picture to send to Nina.

He was half expecting to see the grate go up, and for the light to come on. When that didn’t happen, he turned to leave. The moon was casting weird shadows on the street, and he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. “Sonny?” He called into the darkness. There was no answer, and as Pete was starting to think that he’d imagined it, Sonny was standing next to him.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Sonny seemed different from how Pete remembered him, somehow. More timid, with less of the confident air he’d had the first time he spoke to Pete. “You told me that you’d show me your work,” he said, and Pete was scared that he was just going to melt back into the shadows.

“And I said I want your honest opinion,” Pete reminded him. “I still want it.”

Sonny smiled, and ran over to the grate to get a better look. Pete followed him closely.

Sonny scratched his chin, thinking. “Thanks for getting my good side,” he said. “Want everybody to see how attractive I am, huh?”

'There he is,' Pete thought, unable to stop himself from smiling. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going for,” he joked. “Glad you caught onto my true agenda.”

“Even Usnavi wouldn’t call this vandalism.” Sonny laughed, and looked it over again. “It’s amazing. You really didn’t have to do this,” he said softly. “I’m sorry that I ran away like that the other night.”

“Hey, you don’t need to apologize. I was just confused,” Pete answered. “I met Nina yesterday. She told me what happened.”

Sonny didn’t say anything to that, but pulled Pete into a hug. “Thank you for caring about us so much,” he whispered, before pulling away. “It’s time for me to go.”

Pete noticed that Sonny suddenly looked very tired. He realized that he wouldn’t see him again. Though he felt more relief than sadness. “Okay, go on, Sonny,” he said. “I won’t forget you.”

Sonny gave Pete’s hand a squeeze before he started walking away. He turned around once to wave to him.

Pete waved back, and watched Sonny until he seemed to disappear into the shadows. He stood there for a few minutes, though he wasn’t sure why he was waiting. He let out a long sigh, and started the walk back home. 

The first thing Pete did when he got back was text Nina what had happened. He lied down on the couch, thinking about how content Sonny looked before he faded away. Pete sighed, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for what I keep doing to Sonny.


End file.
